Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Arribada — Padre Island National Seashore

About this spectacle

During the warmer months, Kemp's ridley sea turtles — the world's most endangered sea turtle species — emerge from the Gulf of Mexico onto Padre Island National Seashore in a remarkable mass nesting event called an arribada. Dozens to hundreds of females haul themselves onto the sandy beach in near-synchrony, laboriously excavating nest chambers and depositing clutches of eggs before returning to the sea. Volunteers and park rangers patrol the beach, collecting eggs for incubation in protected facilities and releasing hatchlings under careful supervision. The scale of the scene is both intimate and awe-inspiring: ancient creatures moving across pale sand under open Texas sky, accompanied by the hiss of surf and the calls of shorebirds. Witnessing even a single nesting turtle on the broad, undeveloped barrier island shoreline is a rare and moving experience.

When to go

Mar — Oct, peak May — Jul

Getting there

Nearest airport: CRP. Nearest city: Corpus Christi.

Booking options

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